Page 10 of Falling for the Werewolf
“Should I ask?”
“No, probably not.” She dropped her bag and went into the kitchen. “I’m starved. Are you hungry? Yes, of course you are,” she answered herself, looking him up and down. “Aunt Bess says Amos burns more calories in an hour than she eats in a week, due to his shifter metabolism.”
Well, that answered that question.
“Are you okay with that?” he asked carefully.
“What, you being a shifter? Yeah, I think it’s awesome. About you being able to eat anything you want and stay looking like that? Not so much.” She grinned. “Burgers okay?”
Relief and amusement flooded through him. She knew what he was, and she was okay with it.
“Burgers sound great,” Jace confirmed, leaning against the counter, arms crossed. “How did you lose your license?”
Dani stepped out onto the patio to start up the grill, then grabbed some lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and pickles from the fridge. Jace took the knife from her and started slicing the tomato.
“Speeding,” she answered quietly.
“You lost your license for speeding? How fast did they clock you?”
She flicked her eyes toward him. “One thirty-five.”
“Holy hell!” he exclaimed. “What were you driving, a rocket?”
“It was a Nova SS 450, okay? Took me years to get it just right. I had to, you know, see what she could do.”
Jace stared at her, his jaw hanging open.
“Oh, come on,” Dani said, putting her hands on her hips. Jace tried not to think about how that made her breasts press forward invitingly. “Are you telling me that, the second you finished that Shelby, you didn’t do the same?”
Okay, so it was true.
A devilish glint shone in his eye and a smirk played around his lips. “Yes, but I didn’t get caught and lose my license.”
Dani had the good sense to concede. “Touché.”
The phone rang, and Dani bounced over to answer it. “Hey, Aunt Bess ... Yes, Jace brought me home ... Uh-huh ... Sure, no problem. Have a good time.” She hung up and looked at Jace. “They’re going out to dinner,” she reported. “We’re on our own.” Dani suddenly stopped peeling the leaves from the head of lettuce she had gone back to. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said, looking horrified.
“For what?”
“I never even asked if you had other plans.”
“I don’t,” he said easily, reaching for the plate of burgers. Then he disappeared outside, placing the burgers on the grill, before coming back inside.
“Jace, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” He popped the top off on a can of soda, handing it to her before getting one for himself.
“Did Aunt Bess put you up to this?” she asked, running her finger along the condensation forming on the outside of the can.
“Put me up to what?”
“Babysitting me?”
The question was unexpected. He brought the can slowly to his lips, fascinated by the sudden change. Dani had gone from sexy and confident to almost shy and unsure in the span of a few heartbeats. “Is that what you think I’m doing?”
Dani chewed her bottom lip like she wasn’t sure. “I know Aunt Bess worries about me,” she said slowly. “She thinks I spend too much time alone; that I should maybe get out more, make some friends, meet people.”
Jace didn’t say anything for a moment. The predator in him sensed her vulnerability. It was hard not to draw her to him and explain exactly why he was here. Just because she knew about shifters didn’t mean she understood the kind of intensity a male felt when he found a potential mate, and if she didn’t know, telling her at this early stage might scare her off.
